Fumitaka Ikezu

Q1.Why did you choose NIMS?

I wanted to work close to my hometown, so I decided to apply for a job at NIMS. They have an office near my home (in Tsukuba). What I've found appealing since joining NIMS is its size, which isn't too large. The number of permanent administrative staff is around 100. This creates a family-like atmosphere where almost everyone knows each other. An environment where one can easily seek advice about work (and sometimes personal matters) is very attractive to me.

Q2.Can you tell us about your current job responsibilities and what you find rewarding?

I am responsible for managing how the operational funding grant acquired by NIMS is spent. This operational funding grant is a crucial part of our budget, supporting the maintenance and operation of NIMS, and I work with executives, researchers, and engineers to determine how spending this budget can contribute to NIMS's development. Considering the nature of research, it tends to be a long-term conversation, but I find it rewarding to think that the research outcomes I've been involved with (in terms of budget allocation) will contribute to a better society in the future.

Q3.What has been the most challenging or successful work you have done so far?

Coming from a liberal arts background, I had almost no knowledge of science. Therefore, it's been challenging to deal with consultations from researchers on topics I'm hearing for the first time, requiring me to study on the spot. However, even through the challenges, when I've managed to understand the researchers' requests and successfully convinced our executives of their necessity, I've felt a great sense of accomplishment for contributing even slightly to improving the research environment.

Q4.How do you spend your time after work or on weekends?

I spend my weekends with my family. My children are young, so we don't often go far, but Tsukuba has many parks and play facilities for children. We have athletics parks, parks with ponds, displays of rockets, and more; they create an environment where children can have fun, which I greatly appreciate.